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YouTube debuts a 6-second ad format you can’t skip, so start working on your patience

We’re all used to that five-second countdown before the skip button shows up on a YouTube pre-roll ad. Soon, you’ll have to wait just one second more and watch a full, “snack-sized’ video with the company’s new ad format.

Called Bumper Ads, the short videos last just six seconds each – unlike most YouTube ads today that typically range between 15 seconds to a minute. According to Google and YouTube, Bumper Ads work best on mobile as viewers are often watching on the go, or have even shorter attention spans for what they’re trying to watch.

“In early tests, Bumpers drove strong lift in upper funnel metrics like recall, awareness and consideration,” the company wrote in a blog post. These early testers include ads from companies like Audi Germany and Atlantic Records.

Here’s an example Bumper Ad for a new album from the English band Rudimental.

Not bad, right? Considering YouTube already has unskippable ads that last three minutes (sometimes longer!), this really isn’t the worst thing you’ll have to endure.

Advertisers can begin using Bumper Ads starting in May, though Google says they will accommodate full-length ads, not replace them.